History DB
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HIS2113_Lesson7_CivilWar.pptxMichigan history
Michigan and the American Civil War
Michigan and the Civil War
Identify and explain the tensions that led to the American Civil War and Michigan’s participation in it.
Identify key people from Michigan in the Civil War.
Understand the social and political impacts of the war on the new state.
A Fragile Union
The slavery issue created a sharp geographic divide in the United States.
Republicans were more firmly aligned with anti-slavery movements.
In 1860, Michigan was firmly Republican, and party candidates won by solid majorities:
Governor Austin Blair
President Abraham Lincoln
Following Lincoln’s election, Southern secession from the union became more intense.
Economic and Technological contrasts
In 1860:
90% of American manufacturing was in North
Over 70% of American railroads.
North produced 17x more fabric, 20x more iron, 32x more firearms.
Northern agriculture was more productive: 80% of American wheat, 87% of American oats.
North was 26% urban while South was 10% urban.
North was more populated (23 million vs 9 million), 7/8 of immigrants to USA settled in the North
Michigan War Politics
There was widespread support for the War in Michigan.
Michigan quickly responded to news of War and sent volunteers to Washington in May 1861.
Governor Blair painted, with broad stokes, Southern “traitors:” “We meet an enemy, vindictive, bloodthirsty, and cruel…fanatically devoted only to his one wicked purpose to destroy the government and establish his slaveholding oligarchy in its stead.”
Early on, Michigan politicians were vocal about their opposition to slavery: “Michigan does not hesitate to say that…slavery should be swept from the land, and our country maintained.”
Michigan War Politics
By 1862, support for the war began to wane, and Democrats made significant gains during elections running under a “Union” ticket.
Generally, many began to lose faith in the radical, anti-slavery cause as the primary reason to prolong conflict.
Threats of a draft and recruiting bonuses (“bounties”) were instituted to meet quotas for each state.
Nevertheless, support for Republicans and the war continued to the end despite the efforts of the divided “Peace Democrats” and “War Democrats”
Michigan in the Civil War
Over 90,000 Men (23% of the male population) served in the Union armed forces.
Among these were several minority groups:
Blacks
American Indians
New European Immigrants
Michigan Soldiers fought in every theater of war:
McClellan – 1862 Peninsula
Gettysburg – 1863
Grant – 1864 Wilderness
Sherman – 1864 “March to Sea”
Michigan War Heroes and Stories
George Armstrong Custer
West Point graduate
Youngest General and Popular Leader
Given high honors after conclusion of the war in 1865.
Sarah Emma Edmonds
Philo Parsons – failed jailbreak.
Michigan’s 4th calvary’s capture of Jefferson Davis
Nearly 15,000 of Michigan’s military never returned home.
Life and Labor During the War
Economic boom during the war increased the wealth of agriculturalists and industrialists.
The mining industry also benefited from increased demand.
Shortages of labor at mines and in fields caused:
Farmers to begin using machinery
Industrialists to look for immigrant labor from Europe.
